Mercury is one of the 8 planets in our solar system. It is the smallest of the eight planets. It is also the closest planet to the sun. Mercury goes around the sun the fastest of all the planets. It has no moons (word and image source: www.nasa.gov).
In Astrology, we use the projected positions of the planets, not the actual astronomical position of them in the sky. The projected position is similar to a shadow of an object. When the shadow of a planet reaches the earth’s surface, it affects all living things on Earth.
All planets have its direct and retrograde (opposite) motion. When Mercury is in retrograde motion in particular has a very distinct effect to people on earth. I will only discuss Mercury’s retrograde motion in this article.
What Do We See In The Sky When Mercury Is Retrograde?
AN OBSERVATION
WHEN IS MERCURY Retrograde?
There are two different ways that Mercury can be conjunct the Sun. They are: Mercury is closer to the Earth than the Sun. This is called inferior conjunction Mercury is farther from the Earth than the Sun. This is called superior conjunction
➢ At inferior conjunction, Mercury and Earth are moving in about the same direction and Mercury appears to be going backwards.
➢ At superior conjunction, Mercury and Earth are moving in about opposite directions and Mercury appears to be moving very fast.
➢ When Mercury is conjunct the Sun, it is either Rx or moving very fast (about 2 degrees per day). Note that this is the apparent motion, the speed that Mercury appears to be moving from the point of view of someone living on Earth, and not the actual speed of Mercury
WHEN IS MERCURY Retrograde in 2023?
The table below of Mercury Rx and direct times was produced by Sirius 4 Times are GMT:
| Date | # of Days | Time | Rx or Direct |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 18, 2023 | 01:00 PM (13:11) | Mercury Direct | |
| April 21, 2023 | 24 Days | 08:35 AM (8:35) | Mercury Rx |
| May 15, 2023 | 03:17 AM (3:17) | Mercury Direct | |
| August 23, 2023 | 23 Days | 07:59 PM (19:59) | Mercury Retrograde |
| September 15, 2023 | 08:21 PM (20:21) | Mercury Direct | |
| December 13, 2023 | 20 Days | 07:09 AM (07:09) | Mercury Retrograde |
| January 2, 2024 | 03:07 AM (03:07) | Mercury Direct |
We can see from this table that Mercury turns Rx on April 21, 2023 at 08:35 AM GMT. It stays Rx until May 15, 2023. The number of days of each of these retrograde periods in 2023 varies from 20 to 24 days.
Also interesting is that the maximum speed which Mercury reaches in its retrograde motion varies: To understand this, imagine that your car is parked behind another car, you start your car and you put the car in reverse to back up, which is equivalent to retrograde motion. You might take your foot off the accelerator and go very slowly in reverse, or you could accelerate in reverse direction and go very fast in your retrograde motion.
| Mercury Rx Time Starts 2023 | # of Days Mercury Rx | Maximum Rx Speed |
|---|---|---|
| April 21, 2023 | 24 days | 39′ Rx |
| August 23, 2023 | 23 days | 58′ Rx |
| December 13, 2023 | 20 days | 1 deg 23′ Rx |
VISUALIZATION OF MERCURY RETROGRADE PERIODS
Amazingly, we can also obtain a visualization of these retrograde periods. I used Sirius version 4 to produce a planet mandala which gives a visual image of these retrograde periods.
The Planet Mandala on the left (created from Sirius version 4) shows the motion of Mercury moving around the zodiac. As you can see on this image, when Mercury is closest to the earth, it appears to be going backwards. It is called, Inferior conjunction. At inferior conjunction, Mercury and Earth are moving in about the same direction and Mercury appears to be going backwards.
On the above image, the Earth is in the middle to show you the actual visual of Mercury Rx motion. The points that are closest to the earth is Mercury’s apparent retrograde motion time. The small image at the start of the retrograde motion is Mercury. (Earth and Mercury images source: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/)
HOW TO HANDLE MERCURY RETROGRADE TIME PERIODS
When Mercury is retrograde, some astrologers are reluctant to travel, purchase anything, sign contracts or make agreements, apply for anything, or make any decisions. Mercury is retrograde for about 3 weeks about 3 times a year. One can wonder if there is anything that is favorable to do when Mercury is retrograde.
✓ The answer is: YES, THERE IS!
Mercury Retrograde occurs three times a year. It is hard to avoid it since it is the nature of the planet affecting the entire world. Therefore, it is best that we face it with an open mind and make good use of it. Some may avoid doing anything doing this time period and just stay at home. Well, even at home unexpected things can occur as well. So, there is really no way to avoid it, we are in it for the rest of our lives. Hopefully this article will give some guidance on how to make good use of this celestial event rather than avoiding it.
I have been super curious about this planet’s retrograde motion and its effect to the community even since I became aware of it. It has been the talk of the town as well specially in the astrological community. My curiosity led me to make an observation and do study of it.
After many years of carefully observing the effects of Mercury retrograde, I have found that some activities are very good during Mercury retrograde periods. To further understand Mercury’s energy function and vibrations, below are some keywords to guide you.
➢ Keywords and Vibrations for Mercury are:
•
Speech, Writing, Thought, Awareness, Logic, Messages.
• Finding Errors, Editing, Debugging, Making Corrections to Contracts, Papers, and Other Communications.
When Mercury is retrograde, it generally does not CAUSE things to fail so much as it reveals the weaknesses that are already there. Our thinking becomes more focused, more introverted, more internalized, everything slows down, and we can see what problems are there beneath the surface. The vibrations that Mercury sends during its retrograde motion is to make a change, fix things that are needed to be fixed that are placed behind us otherwise, as well as clarify things that are otherwise hard to understand, etc.
When we are reading or working on a literatures or books, we find the spelling and grammatical errors, the software bugs, and the poor way in which a paper is written. We may also find that the paper, book, lecture, or contract is good but it can be edited to make it much clearer.
It can be improved to express our feelings or the logic more clearly. We can dig deeper, we can focus better, and we can take the time to see the details better.
Internet and Gadgets
In our modern age of access to the internet, electronic gadgets, and ubiquitous technology, Mercury retrograde is especially helpful for sorting out all the problems. Yes, it can be frustrating to find these problems but it will be more frustrating in the long run if the problems continue to go undetected.
Also, our electronic gadgets will break or malfunction over time. It is true that the problem may appear when Mercury is retrograde, and also sometimes the problem was there before but now the effects or results of that problem become more serious.
Internet connections may malfunction at times, and a lot of time, it happens during Mercury Rx. When this happens most of us are not able to work on our computers and electronic gadgets. When this happens, take it as a message to you that it is now the right time to rest your eyes from the computer or any electronic gadgets. Go out for a walk, water your garden, take your pet out for a walk, go to the gym, go to your kitchen and look for something to cook and experiment with. There are so many things that you can do when the internet connection is down.
✓ If you have something in the house that needs fixing, now is the time to look into it.
✓ When Mercury is retrograde, you will notice that you will be able to understand what is needed to be done to fix it.
✓ Organizing Your Life:
Mercury retrograde time periods are also an excellent time to organize your files and put them in order. This is a great time to clean your drawers of old and useless things and remove the clutter. This may not seem like a very important part of your life, but if a time comes when you cannot find something you need, you will be glad that you removed what is unnecessary and put things in proper order.
Better yet, this is a perfect time to take some time off to clear your house of unnecessary clutter.
If you have not taken the time off to exercise or inhale fresh air, etc. to take care of your body because of your busy schedule, now is the time.
✓ Improving Personal Communications:
On a personal level, when Mercury is retrograde, it is the best time to re-evaluate our communication problem with friends and family. During the Mercury retrograde everyone, including yourself, is a little more receptive to focusing on problem areas. This is a good time to call someone that you are having communication problems with and resolve the issue. Write a letter, send an email, etc. You are likely to find that the other person is less aggressive and you are better able to avoid emotional outbursts or losing your temper.
In my many years of traveling and working with software development, I have found that Mercury Rx is not a time to avoid doing things. In fact, during the Mercury Rx, it is the most productive time to take care of things such as resolving issues that require special attention.
When Mercury is retrograde, it is also the best time to connect with your family and friends that you have not been in touch with for a long time.
This is a time when everyone is more reflective, calm, and inclined to think about things more deeply. You may find that good old memories are brought to the surface and everyone feels happy by being able to re-connect to happy and important times in their lives.
Remember, Mercury is the messenger god. He brings good and bad news, but always connects us to the news we need to hear and helps us stay bonded to one another.
TRAVELING ON MERCURY RETROGRADE
The energy and the vibe when traveling during Mercury Retrograde is slow almost like in slow motion mode. It is smooth and enjoyable. Passengers are not in a hurry, anxious, and angry. They accept any kind of change, and make adjustment to travel schedule when things are interrupted which is unavoidable at times.
Many people avoid traveling when Mercury is retrograde. Ironically, when Mercury is retrograde it can be the best time to travel, especially the nature of travel typically tends to be hectic, rushed, anxious, and impatient. For example, flying by airplane can be hectic as you have to make connecting flights, airplane repairs or weather problems can arise, baggage can get lost, etc. These incidents can be troublesome to some of us. When Mercury is retrograde however, passengers do their best to adjust to whatever they need to do to proceed on their journey.
In my many years of travel, I sometimes do not have a choice but travel on specific dates but when I do have a choice I do not shy away from times when Mercury is retrograde. In fact, I prefer traveling when Mercury is retrograde.
✓ Traveling during Mercury Rx can be more fun because it tends to be less stressful. Passengers seem more inclined to compromise, avoid stress, and just go with the flow.
When Mercury is direct, the hustle and bustle is more intense, anxiety levels tend to be higher, and an announcement of a flight delay is much more likely to elicit some loud responses of frustration and disappointment.
If you travel often, see what observations you make when you compare Mercury retrograde and Mercury direct time periods. I think you will be able to confirm my observations.
When Mercury is direct, the hustle and bustle is more intense, anxiety levels tend to be higher, and an announcement of a flight delay is much more likely to elicit some loud responses of frustration and disappointment.
If you travel often, see what observations you make when you compare Mercury retrograde and Mercury direct time periods. I think you will be able to confirm my observations.
When Mercury is direct, the hustle and bustle is more intense, anxiety levels tend to be higher, and an announcement of a flight delay is much more likely to elicit some loud responses of frustration and disappointment.
If you travel often, see what observations you make when you compare Mercury retrograde and Mercury direct time periods. I think you will be able to confirm my observations.
SHOPPING DURING MERCURY RETROGRADE
Contrary to what some astrologers suggest, I often go shopping when Mercury is retrograde. I often find what I am looking for at a discounted price or a buy-one-and-take-one- free offer.
Mercury retrograde seems to slow down the pace, remove a lot of the tension and stress in the stores, and instead of feeling pushed and pulled by a crowd of impatient people, I find myself quietly moving towards some particular store that has what I am looking for and at the best price I am likely to ever find it.
Most of us are on a budget and often a tight budget so this can be very helpful. On the other hand, I don’t gamble on purchasing something that I have some doubts about. Gambling tends not to work well when Mercury is retrograde. However, very often the slower pace, more peaceful and pleasant atmosphere.
The care and attention that people seem to give to situations and their relaxed way of dealing with situations seems to act like a magnet that can draw you to very good sales that are just right for you and help you find the things that you really need.
I suggest that you make your own observations, and your own experiences during the time when Mercury is Rx.
Keep an open mind and understanding of it, you will feel that the effect is good for the purpose of change. For example, if your washing machine failed to turn on during this time period, it means that either the machine is getting old and needs tune ups, or it needs to be replaced. We often not notice how old are things in our homes. Last thing we know they start breaking up and usually during the most auspicious time of Mercury Rx.
SO, FOLKS, ARE YOU NOW FRIENDS WITH MERCURY RETROGRADE?
Thank you for reading this article. I hope it has helped you gain some insights on how to handle things during Mercury Retrograde time.
I would like to take this opportunity to personally invite you to attend our 6th Annual Vibrational Astrology Conference in Gainesville, FL USA next year. It is a fun, educational, and exciting conference. It is an event for learning, exploring, sharing, celebrating, and discovery with friends. You will gain more insights in how Vibrational Astrology works and how you can use it in your daily life and your professional practice. The date is March 1 – 4, 2024. Here is the link to the information:
VibrationalAstrologyConference.com I hope to See you next year!
Sincerely,
Fei Cochrane
Vibrational Astrology Conference Coordinator
President of Cosmic Pattern Software and Matrix Software
AstroSoftware.com
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